Introducing Coach Mo!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce myself as “Coach Mo” — the new head women’s basketball coach at Central College! My name is Moran Lonning, and I feel very honored and at home as I take on this next chapter of my life with the Dutch.

I feel honored because I know the historical success of Central athletics, including Central women’s basketball — the only program in the American Rivers Conference to have earned a national championship! I am eager to learn from the 1993 championship team during this rebuilding time and hope to honor them in all that we do as a team and program. 

I feel at home in multiple ways. I played in this league as a student-athlete and was named American Rivers Conference MVP twice and Defensive MVP. I also coached in this league for the last six years as the top assistant coach at a school somewhere west of Pella — cough – Simpson College — cough — please don’t hold this against me! My first year in 2016-17, we had single-digit wins and did not qualify for the conference tournament. By 2022, we were back-to-back undefeated conference champions and had an NCAA Tournament berth. I am familiar with rebuilding a program, developing student-athletes and competing in this conference and nation.

However, the biggest reason I feel at home here is because Central is where my late father, Greg Lonning, began his head coaching career as the wrestling coach. He and the program had much success, as he coached Central’s first national champion wrestler, Tim Hackel ’87, and earned Conference Coach of the Year himself. But the greatest legacy my dad left behind goes much deeper than wins and losses on the mat.

I want to honor my dad by infusing our student-athletes with confidence, empowering them with high-spirited energy, teaching the power of positivity, creating space for them to be their most authentic selves, pushing them to embrace the grind of sport and life and believing in them more than they believe in themselves during their time at Central and far beyond.

The tradition of Central women’s basketball is unlike any other. I cannot wait to honor everyone who has come before me and empower all women of the present and future. Please consider kick-starting this exciting time by donating to the Central College WBB Program! The money will help fund books like “Power of a Positive Team” by Jon Gordon, a special trip to Florida to compete against teams from other regions, our JV program travel expenses and officials to ensure our feeder program is developing strong varsity players. 

Every gift, whether $50 or $500, makes a difference for our program! Go Dutch!